Dedicated Veteran Inspired Wife To Start Military Support Group Enfield Hooah

Courtesy of the Gates family

Terrill Gates married his wife, Lori, in 2003. The couple had three children together. Gates was the inspiration for Enfield Hooah, the military family support group his wife founded in 2009.

Terrill Gates married his wife, Lori, in 2003. The couple had three children together. Gates was the inspiration for Enfield Hooah, the military family support group his wife founded in 2009. (Courtesy of the Gates family)

Terrill Gates, whose lengthy military service inspired the military support group Enfield Hooah, died Oct. 25. He was 49.

Gates, of Enfield, enlisted in the U.S. Army when he was 17, following in the footsteps of his father who served during the Korean War and his grandfather who served in World War I.

"I think it was something that Terrill felt [he had to do]," said Lori Gates, his wife since 2003. "Not that it was a family tradition, but that you should serve your time."

Gates spent five years in active duty before leaving the military for a short time. He returned later and rose through the ranks, retiring in 2011 as a first sergeant of the 226th Transportation Railway Operating Company in Chicopee, Mass., after 24 years of service.

Gates, who had worked for Retina Consultants in Hartford since 2001, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007. He was supposed to be deployed to Iraq with his soldiers, but his diagnosis kept him home, much to his disappointment.

"He was crushed," his wife said. "Those were his soldiers and that year was tough when they were away."

Before his deployment was blocked, Lori Gates initiated the idea of Enfield Hooah, a group that supports active military members and their families in the local area.

She started the group because she couldn't find anything like it in the area that could help support her and her three children while he was going to be away.

Enfield Hooah, which means "heard, understood and acknowledged" when appearing as its backronym HUA, was officially founded in 2009.

"That was perfect for what we were doing," Lori Gates said. "We hear you, we know you're there, and we know you have needs."

Enfield Hooah is responsible for a number of community-based projects that support active military members and their families at home.

The organization regularly sends care packages to active members of the military who are from the Enfield area. The group also participates in special projects such as Wreaths Across America and Cookies for Camouflage.

Lori Gates said her husband was humble in his service. He had a great respect for what other members of the military had accomplished.

"Everything Terrill did in the Army he said wasn't a big deal because he knew his grandfather was in France during World War I and received two Purple Hearts," she said. "There was always that level of respect for guys who, in his eyes, have done more than he did."

But Terrill Gates was proud of certain accomplishments, including his jump wings, which he earned during his time with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was most proud of the men and women he worked with as a first sergeant.

"He wanted them to go forward in the world and do the right things and he very much wanted the best for them," Lori Gates said. "He was so proud of any accomplishment they had. Those were his soldiers."

And as a veteran himself, Gates made it a priority to say thank you to any fellow veterans he met.

"If we saw a veteran, he was going to go up and thank them," his wife said. "If they are willing to sign on that dotted line for a stranger to protect their freedoms, can't we say thank you?"

Gates is survived by his wife and his three children Madison, Spencer and Sean.

"Terrill always said he wanted a family and he wanted to be a dad," Lori Gates said. "He adored his children. I was so honored to be his wife."